Doc. 10580

17 June 2005

Challenges facing the European audiovisual sector

Recommendation 1674 (2004)

Reply from the Committee of Ministers

adopted at the 930^th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies (15 June 2005)

1.       The Committee of Ministers has examined with interest Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation

1674 (2004) on challenges facing the European audiovisual sector and has forwarded it to the governments of member states and to two of its committees. The Steering Committee for Culture (CDCULT) and the Board of Management of the European Fund of the Council of Europe for the support of co-production, distribution and exhibition of European feature films and documentaries (EURIMAGES) have submitted comments on the Assembly's recommendations, which are appended to this reply.

2.        The Assembly Recommendation goes in the same direction as that advocated by the Committee of Ministers in favour of diversity and pluralism. Like the Assembly, the Committee of Ministers believes that European institutions should pay special attention to the cultural implications of the quality of the European audiovisual sector and asks the CDCULT to resume consideration of the role which this sector can play, inter alia, in education for European citizenship.

3. The Committee of Ministers underlines its attachment to cultural diversity and points out that, apart from the Council of Europe Convention on Transfrontier Television (ETS No. 132), the CDCULT has also produced two other conventions taking into account aspects of cultural diversity (ETS Nos. 147 and 183 (& Protocol 184)). In this last connection, it invites the CD-PAT to hold an exchange of views on measures to be taken to help improve promotion of the cinematographic cultural heritage. The Committee of Ministers follows attentively the work currently being carried out to establish an international instrument for the protection of cultural diversity under the auspices of UNESCO. In this context, the Committee of Ministers would like to recall the Action Plan (paragraph 12) adopted at the 7th Ministerial Conference on Mass Media Policy
(Kyiv, 10-11 March 2005) which reads as follows:

      “Review the implications for the media sector of the ongoing preparation within UNESCO of anin

      international convention on the protection of the diversity of cultural contents and artistic expression

      so as, if necessary, to adopt a common pan-European approach towards this initiative in order to

      ensure that their shared values of freedom of expression and information and pluralism of the media

       be fully taken into consideration.”

4.       The Committee of Ministers would like to recall two of its pertinent instruments: the European Convention on Cinematographic Co-Production (ETS No. 147) which entered into force in 1994 and the Protocol to the European Convention on the protection of the Audiovisual Heritage, on the Protection of Television Production, which was opened for signature in 2001 and has not entered into force yet. The Committee of Ministers cannot but encourage its member states to sign and ratify these two instruments.

5.       As for EURIMAGES, the Committee of Ministers is paying particular attention to the question of the under-funding of the Fund and has decided to hold an in-depth discussion, in the framework of its Rapporteur Group on Education, Culture, Sport, Youth and Environment (GR-C), on the possibilities of increasing EURIMAGES’ financial resources. Mr Jacques Toubon, Chair of the Board of Management of the Partial Agreement, will be invited to attend.

6.       The Committee of Ministers takes note of the Parliamentary Assembly’s proposals and reiterates its desire to take them forward.

Appendix to the reply

Opinion of CDCULT and the Board of Management of EURIMAGES

on Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1674 (2004)

on challenges facing the European audiovisual sector

The CDCULT and the Board of Management of EURIMAGES welcome the work that the Parliamentary Assembly has been carrying out for a number of years now in the audiovisual field and would like to express their keen interest in the numerous measures and suggestions put forward in this recommendation. They would also like to make the following comments:

• The enhancement of cultural diversity and the audiovisual heritage are at the heart of the cultural policy of the Council of Europe, and this is reflected in all the past activities of the Council for Cultural Co-operation.

• The CDCULT supports the Assembly’s recommendation that the mandate of the Council’s cultural sector should be reinforced, but would point out that some explicit mention should be made of EURIMAGES in paragraph 13.ii of the Recommendation as it is currently the only body in the cultural sector that is responsible for audiovisual matters and, more specifically, for European film production.

• The CDCULT and the Board of Management of EURIMAGES would emphasise the importance of political action to encourage the member states of EURIMAGES to increase this Fund’s budget – as things stand, it can no longer meet European film producers’ needs despite the effort made by certain countries through voluntary contributions.

• The Board of Management of EURIMAGES has already had occasion, through the intermediary of its President, to express its desire for the European Union to help finance the Fund and sincerely hopes that the contacts with the European Union in this connection will continue.